Photo by Bryce Bridges Photographic

Stored Potential began as a desire to do something with a structure that had become white noise on 76,000 commuters daily trip on Interstate-80 near downtown Omaha. This particular grain elevator, a replica of thousands more throughout the country, occupies a fortunate position (unfortunate for itself in no longer remaining a functioning grain elevator) just 3 feet from the edge of an 8-lane expansion of the cross-country freeway. Having lost a silo and off-ramp to the freeway expansion, it was quickly abandoned by the commodity grain company and servicing rail-line. After over 20 years of disuse and site dereliction, a group of visionary rockclimbers saw potential in the raw vertical walls, and Emerging Terrain identified potential in the empty canvas and marker of urban transformation. The two visions found one another and quickly turned into a complex collaboration between artists, local foundations, city agencies, private landowner, arts organizations, sponsoring corporations and individuals, and a neighborhood association. Emerging Terrain released a call for submissions for images to be printed and hung on the exterior of individual silos. Shortly thereafter, some climbing routes were replaced with 20′x80′ woven poly-mesh panels containing images reflecting various aspects of land use, food, and agriculture.

Covering the elevator in 22,000 ft. sq. of art was not enough. We soon found ourselves in further collaboration with 10 local chefs, dozens of local food producers, and 500-community members who purchased tickets in the two weeks before they sold out. A fall dinner was choreographed at the base of the newly clad structure at an eight hundred foot long continuous table, mirroring the length of the grain elevator. The combination of the gigantic banner artwork and the inclusive performance art of the dinner were intended to create an experience of scales: the massiveness of industrial agriculture to the human dimension of sustenance through juxtaposing infrastructures of a concrete grain elevator and a continuous community dinner table. The meal was served in six courses delivered to the table by a team of volunteer servers and prepared by over eighty culinary students. All thirteen artists flew to Omaha for the dinner.

Stored Potential is now launching into a second season. The current banners will be shifted to the northernmost silos and replaced with a new grouping on the topic of Transport(ation). The competition for the new banners will commence on June 5, 2011 and close on July 6, 2011.

See more photos from this project at Zenfolio.